Gretna & Gretna Green

Classic Postcard View of the
"World Famous Old Blacksmith's Shop"

Every year over 4,000 weddings take place in Gretna and Gretna
Green, which amounts to around one in eight of all weddings that take place in
Scotland. And there seems every chance that the twin settlements are between
them home to rather more than one in eight of all the anvils remaining in
Scotland.

Gretna Green lies either side of the A74(M) motorway, a mile across
the border into Scotland from England. It forms one end of a village whose
other end is called Springfield. Gretna Green became famous though a combined
accident of history and geography.

England in the early 1700s was facing serious social problems
caused by large numbers of irregular marriages taking place around the country.
The solution was an Act of Parliament introduced in 1754 by Lord Hardwicke.

This restricted the number of places in which marriages could take
place; it tightened up the regulations on recording of marriages; and, most
significantly, it outlawed marriages in which either bride or groom were under
21 unless both sets of parents or guardians consented. The new law was
rigorously enforced, and clergymen faced 14 years of transportation for
breaking it.

But the 1754 Act did not apply to Scotland. Here it remained
possible for anyone of 16 or over to get married with or without their parents'
consent. And marriages could be carried out without prior notice and in a wide
range of venues, without need for a member of the clergy to officiate. Gretna Green
happened to be the first place you reached in Scotland when following the main
route north from Carlisle, and
so it became a centre for runaway marriages. These were often carried out by
the village blacksmith as the most respected tradesman in the community. And
they were often carried out with a sense of urgency driven by the knowledge
that one or other set of parents was in hot pursuit.

The act of marriage came to be marked by the striking of his anvil
by the blacksmith. This could be seen as symbolising the joining together of
two pieces of metal in the heat of the blacksmith's fire. Like them, the
couples involved were joined together in the heat of the moment and bound
together for eternity.

An English Act of Parliament in 1857 meant that a marriage in
Scotland would no longer be recognised in England unless one of the parties to
it had been resident in Scotland for at least three weeks prior to the wedding.
This slightly reduced the flow of such weddings, and killed off a similar
"wedding industry" in Coldstream on the other side
of the country. But Gretna Green remained a considerable draw until 1940, when
irregular marriages performed by someone other than a member of the clergy or official
registrar were outlawed in Scotland. During the 13 years until 1940 the last
"anvil priest" who officiated at the Old Smithy, Richard Rennison, is said to
have performed 5,147 weddings.

And for 37 years that was pretty much that. But in 1977 the three
week residential requirement was removed; couples instead needing to give 14
days written notice of their wedding. And from 1994 anvil weddings outside
church premises once more began to take place in Gretna and Gretna Green,
albeit conducted by clergymen. Since 2002 Registrars have also been able to
perform civil weddings in approved venues outside Registration Offices.

The result has been the steady increase in the numbers of weddings
taking place in Gretna and Gretna Green, a trend that shows no sign of
diminishing. And the range of venues on offer is bewildering.

In Gretna Green the "World Famous Old Blacksmith's Shop", also
called the Old Smithy, is perhaps the best known venue. This now has three
wedding rooms, each with an anvil; and has developed a fascinating (and
surprisingly extensive) museum. It has also transformed itself into a major
tourist attraction with a range of shops and other facilities. Close by is the
Gretna Hall Hotel, another popular wedding venue, complete with its own
blacksmith's shop (and anvils), while a number of other wedding venues are also
available in Gretna Green. See also our
Marrying in Scotland page.

Gretna Green is separated from Gretna by the dual carriageway A75
and by a few hundred yards of open fields. Gretna was built from scratch as a
planned township during the First World War, to house workers from the huge
munitions factories developed in the area. This has not stopped Gretna taking
part in the wedding boom of the last decade. Key points of focus include the
Registration Office, Scotland's busiest, and the magnificent Anvil Hall, a
church converted for use specifically for weddings. Other churches and hotels
in Gretna also offer wedding packages, each competing to provide an experience
to remember.

Meanwhile both Gretna and Gretna Green are home to a number of
local businesses supplying flowers, cakes, dresses, cars, photographers,
accommodation and everything else you could possibly need to make that special
day perfect.

In talking about Gretna and Gretna Green, it is easy to overlook
the fact that there is rather more to them than just their focus on marriage.
Gretna's football club has become increasingly famous in recent years, both
through its exploits on the field, and as a model of community involvement.
Meanwhile, on the shopping front the Gretna Gateway Outlet Village provides a
major attraction in its own right.

And anywhere else, the WWI development of Gretna to serve what was
the world's largest munitions factory would deserve a more in-depth look. On
the north shore of the Solway a workforce of 30,000 people produced vast
quantities of cordite, or devil's porridge. On
an equally sombre note, on 22 May 1915 Gretna became the location of Britain's
worst ever rail disaster, when a troop train taking troops of the Royal Scots
to fight in Gallipoli ran into a stationary local train. The wreckage of the
two trains was then hit by a northbound express. At least 226 people were
killed and a further 246 injured in the Quintinshill disaster.